The Karnataka government has approved four strategic initiatives worth over Rs 27 crore, aimed at accelerating startup growth, fostering industry- academia collaboration, advancing biotechnology infrastructure, and promoting indigenous deep-tech innovation, Minister for IT & BT Priyank Kharge said. The initiatives are being implemented through the Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), leading academic institutions, and ecosystem partners. “These approvals reflect Karnataka’s commitment to investing across the full innovation spectrum—from startups and talent development to frontier research in biotechnology, genomics and medical robotics. By strengthening regional innovation ecosystems, industry-academia partnerships and deep-tech research capabilities, we are creating the foundations for the next generation of jobs, enterprises and scientific breakthroughs," Kharge was quoted as saying by his office in a statement. These initiatives will further reinforce Karnataka’s position as India’s leading innovation and technology hub. Two of the approved initiatives are being implemented under the Local Economy Accelerator Programme (LEAP), the government’s flagship initiative to strengthen innovation ecosystems beyond Bengaluru and create new opportunities for entrepreneurship, talent development and economic growth across Karnataka’s emerging regional hubs. The government has approved the establishment of a K-Combinator Startup Accelerator at "WrkWrk", Mangaluru, in collaboration with TiE-Mangaluru under the Local Economy Accelerator Programme (LEAP). With an approved investment of Rs 9.26 crore over five years, the initiative seeks to nurture high-potential startups from the Udupi-Mangaluru region through structured acceleration, mentorship, market access, funding linkages, and ecosystem integration, the release said. The accelerator is designed to support startups at Proof-of-Concept (PoC) and Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stages, helping them achieve product-market fit and scale sustainably, it said, adding the programme aims to build a pipeline of globally competitive startups while strengthening collaboration among industry, academia, investors, and government stakeholders. Further, under LEAP’s Karnataka Startup Foundry component, the government has approved the implementation of the Super 100 Industry-Academia Adoption Programme (Super 100 IAAP) at an estimated cost of Rs 7.47 crore over three years in partnership with Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM). The programme will create structured one-to-one partnerships between 100 leading industry partners and 100 higher education institutions, particularly in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities across Karnataka. Through curriculum alignment, mentorship, real-world project engagement, faculty development, and innovation-led research collaborations, the initiative
